"Don't Stop the Party" Pitbull ft. TJR

Possessing borderline skill as an emcee and a catalog of mostly pop-friendly dance tunes, Pitbull has always been more hype man than rapper. (Tellingly, he has never scored a hit on hip-hop radio.) But the transformation seems complete on his latest single, "Don't Stop the Party," a clunky club track that plays like a series of catchphrases rather than a song. Over a dull EDM beat from Los Angeles DJ TJR, the self-proclaimed Mr. Worldwide grunts his way through repetitive hooks and bare sketches of global exploits that sound so tossed-off they barely command attention. It'd be more accurate to say this lifeless party never really gets started. C-